Soul Mates
by Crazy4Animation
Summary: As Fuwa Sho's jealousy and doubts exceed limits, He kicks Kyoko out of his apartment in the middle of night leaving her homeless. Fortunately for her, Hizuri Kuon, her Boss who's been trying to get over his heartbreak for so long, has the biggest heart to take her under his protective wings as he provides her new home and discovers his ideal heavenly soul mate in her. AU
1. Prologue-Homeless

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own skip beat or any of its characters. It's an AU story, entirely different from the original skip beat series.**

 **Warning: Might contain violence but not too detailed. Sho is abusively cynical and really aggressive in this story so it's not for Sho's fans XD Sorry :-)  
**

 **Kuon is neither aggressive nor a beast thing. His character is kind and supportive.**

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 **A/N:** **Hi my lovely readers, here I am with another story. I hope you like it. I'll be updating other stories of mine soon. I haven't abandoned them but my focus will mainly on be "Love is Worship, Crazy For You, Unconditional Love, Soul Mates and Made For Each Others." I'll update other stories when I'll have time. Please bear with me. Thank you. Please keep supporting me. I hope you enjoy.**

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 **Summary:** As Fuwa Sho's jealousy and doubts exceed limits, He kicks Kyoko out of his apartment in the middle of night leaving her homeless. Fortunately for her, Hizuri Kuon, her Boss who's been trying to get over his heartbreak for so long, has the biggest heart to take her under his protective wings and discovers his ideal heavenly soul mate in her. AU

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 **Soul Mates-Homeless**

 **Prologue**

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Kyoko came home late from work. The moment she entered their shared apartment, she knew something was off. Ever since she joined Hizuri Corp, Fuwa Sho, her fiancé, had become insecure and cynical towards her. She thought he trusted her but he always acted abnormally jealous for no reason. She had told him infinite times that she loved him and would never leave him but it seemed to have no impact on him. Her Boss, Hizuri Kuon was nothing more than a kind friend for her and besides she wasn't a cheater but Sho's demeanor had changed and jealousy and abuse became a normal thing with him.

He checked her phone every day. Each time someone texted her or called her, he would peek over her shoulder reading the screen while demanding explanation for no reason. She would wake up to him going through her phone each morning then he would start hugging and kissing forcibly telling her that he would never let her go to anybody. It was annoying for her to no end. She felt irritated but secretly admired his affections towards her. She thought he acted jealous because he loved her but her misunderstanding soon was cleared when he became abusive and started to raise hand on her when she came home late or stayed at work exceeding the office hours.

In just one night, everything changed.

She came home late from work because she had to stay late due to some extra work that needed to be done at its earliest. She made sure to text Sho to make him well aware of the situation but she didn't know what was awaiting her upon her return.

As she walked through the front door of their home, she saw cans of beer scattered all over the carpet in the living room. He had never drunk this much in a day and it started to worry her. Something was definitely wrong. Kitchen was a mess. She started to feel unease as she walked towards the bedroom.

"Sho-chan?" she called out but there was no answer.

She made to the bedroom and slowly opened the door. What she saw was terrifying.

Soft pillows were all torn up with their stuffing lying all over the place. Bed sheets were disorganized. There were holes in the wall and spilled cans of beer on the carpet. Sho was sitting on the bed with his face in his hands and elbows popped up on his legs. He looked horrible.

"S-Sho-Chan, what happened?" Kyoko asked as she slowly walked towards him with her eyes wandering all over the room.

There was no response from him for a while until she felt herself being grasped by him. She turned to him in surprise as he gripped her arms tightly and looked up at her with heavy red eyes. She squeaked when he suddenly pulled her closer to him.

"Kyoko, you are late. Where have you been? It's midnight already. Care to explain?"

His voice was deeper than usual. It was low but enough to pull her soul out. He sounded so cold and distant and his eyes were vacant, the only thing she was able to find in them was anger.

"I…I told you I would be late! I texted you, didn't I?" she said as she tried to yank her arm away but his grip painfully tightened.

"You were with him, weren't you? You like to spend time with that pin head so much!" Sho spat at her causing her to growl at him.

Why couldn't he trust her for once? Didn't he love her anymore? Did he really think of her that lowly? Did he really think she would cheat on him purposely with someone else when he was the only one prince charming for her?

Kyoko's fate had turned upside down ever since her parents died in tragic car crash five years ago, leaving her no choice but to move in with Sho in Tokyo. She had no relatives left except Fuwa family who had friendly relationship with her parents and Kyoko was engaged to their only son, now 20 years old Fuwa Sho, rising rock star of Japan who also was her childhood crush and best friend.

"Sho-chan, let go of me! It hurts!" Kyoko yelped in pain as he squeezed her arm tighter and tried to break it out of his deadly grasp. With her free hand, she griped his wrist and tried to pry it off of her but it was all in vain. He was stronger than her.

"You know quite well that I don't like him. He has eyes on you. I don't like it when you spend so much time with him making lame excuses of excessive work"

Kyoko frowned. "What the hell? He's my Boss! Don't be ridiculous! I told you I was working! I have nothing to do with him out of work! He's only a friend. Why don't you believe me? Let go!" Kyoko screamed as she tried to break herself free but he didn't budge.

"No!" he roared as he grabbed her other arm and pulled her down to him roughly. "You belong to me and only me. I won't give you up. Certainly not to that bastard!" he started kissing her all over the face and sucked her neck as his hands started to move downwards.

"Stop it Sho-chan! What's gotten into you?!" She pushed him away as she quickly got up, ready to run away from him to shield herself in another room but he acted faster.

He pushed her down on the bed and pinned her beneath him as he hovered over her before she could go anywhere.

"I forbid you to see him again. Quit your job and leave Hizuri Corp! I refuse to give you to anyone else!" he glared at her running his cold hand up to her stomach and chest while kissing her non-stop. Kyoko felt a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She shivered and squirmed around uncomfortably, wanting him to get off of her.

"Stop it Sho-chan, let go! I don't want it!" she screamed out again as she pushed him away forcibly but regretted her attempt when she felt a hard, sharp and extremely painful slap hitting across her face.

The slap was hard enough to leave a red bruise on her cheek.

Kyoko's eyes widened in shock unable to believe what had just happened. The man who once claimed to love her forever and protect her had broken his promise and physically harmed her.

Tears spilled out of her eyes as she held her stinging cheek. "S-Sho-chan…"

"You dislike my touch now because you have found pleasure in him right?" Sho shot her a deadly glare as he accused her.

Kyoko felt disgusting. It wasn't like that at all. Her Boss was a kind and nice man who always treated her respectfully like a friend, nothing more nothing less. She didn't know why her Boss bothered Sho so much.

"N-No….I don't want this… stop it…. Get off me! Let go!" Kyoko winced when he slowly started unbuttoning her shirt and tried to seal her protests with his lips on hers.

She could taste alcohol and it frightened her. He wasn't in his senses at all.

Noticing him losing his mind and crossing his limits, Kyoko got desperate to get away. She kneed him in the stomach in self-defense and sat up. He yelled out in pain, furious at her as he grabbed her wrists again and held them above her head with his strong grip. He moved his mouth to her left shoulder blade and bit her harder. An unbearably sharp pain seared through her and she cried out. His brutal bite had left a bruised mark on her shoulder, perhaps leaving a permanent scar there.

With his hungry mouth, he swallowed her painful screams.

Kyoko was too paralyzed from fear to make an attempt of escape or move away from his claws.

This wasn't love at all. This wasn't the man she fell in love with. There was nothing gentle. Everything she experienced was painful. The fact that she had spent last 20 years of her life loving him made her sick to her very core.

Satisfied after devouring her mouth and leaving his mark on her shoulder blade and neck, he pulled away and titled her head so that she could look at him directly.

"Look at me!" he commanded darkly.

Kyoko squeezed her eyes shut and refused to obey.

He tightened his grip on her jaw causing her to whimper. Her face was soaked with tears as she looked at him unwillingly.

"You are mine. I won't let you go and I definitely don't want to hear his name in this apartment. You are quitting your job and that's final! Block his number and never try to contact him again or else you'll be sorry, understood?"

Kyoko remained silent. She felt extremely sick of herself for loving that freak in front of her who didn't even trust her one bit and abused her recklessly to satisfy his insecurities and jealous nature.

He frowned angrily and dug his nails into her arm when she remained non-responsive. "Understood?" he demanded an answer again, leaning forward to kiss her lips roughly yet again.

Feeling of his lust-filled lips grossed her out and she prayed in her mind desperately for him to go away. She was fed up now. She wanted to get away at any cost. She needed it to be stopped. She just couldn't go on further like that. It was limit for her.

Using all of her strength, she pushed him away and slapped him across the face as harder as she could.

"I told you to stop, I don't want it, don't you get it? You are no one to order me!" she flamed with anger as flood of tears escaped her eyes.

Taken a back by her attack, Sho stared at her for a while before a scowl of hatred appeared on his face and he lost his sanity.

"You Slut! So you have a thing for him indeed that's why you are refusing to quit, that's why you don't want me to touch you. You are a shameless leach! Suit yourself then, Get out of my house and sleep with him if you really like him that much! Doors of my apartment are closed for you to enter! I'll see who gives you shelter and how you survive in this city without me. You'll starve to death, you Bitch!" Sho hissed at her as he grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her all the way to exit door and practically threw her out, slamming the door shut in her face.

Kyoko stared back at the closed door with wide eyes. She was kicked out of the place in the middle of night, she once called her home. She had nowhere to go, nowhere to spend the night at least.

She cried harder wrapping her arms around herself trying her best to seek warmth but failed. The night was freezing cold. She shivered from head to toe looking around herself but found darkness looking back at her.

She felt used and dirty. The man she once loved had turned into a monster and didn't even think twice before kicking her out at midnight when she had nowhere else to go.

She stood there crying to herself silently as she tried to figure out what to do.

Her body was aching a lot and her energy was draining but she didn't care and ran to escape as far as her legs could take her, away from the rude monster who once was her prince.

When she covered enough distance to her satisfaction, she stopped to catch her breath.

Luckily, she had her phone with her, she didn't know how did it happen but she felt grateful for it.

With shaking hands, she flipped open her phone and stared at the screen for a long time as if trying to make up her mind wondering if she should really go through this or not. She couldn't stay out all night. She was a girl and it was dangerous. With a heavy sigh, she decided she had no choice.

The only one who could let her stay safely for the night was her Boss.

She speed dialed the number and listened to it anxiously as it rang several times.

Kyoko felt bad and decided to drop the idea. It was midnight and he might be sleeping at that time. It was weird and rude of her to call him at this hour. How could she disturb him so late at night? It was stupid of her.

When she was about to hang up, she heard a familiar voice that belonged to none other than Hizuri Kuon.

"What a pleasant surprise! Mogami-san, is that you?"

She gasped out a little, not knowing how to respond.

"Mogami-san..? Are you alright?" he asked with concern.

She took a deep breath and composed herself before speaking. "H-Hizuri-san c-can you please pick me up?" there was no response on the other end for a while and Kyoko thought she had upset him.

"I-I" she gulped and cleared her throat masking her nervousness. She didn't want to bother him so late but she had no choice either.

"I… I… know I shouldn't be bothering you and I'm deeply sorry but I really don't know who else to go to and…." Her voice started to shake; pain was evident in her tone.

"Mogami-san, I'm on my way right now, tell me where you are and stay there till I arrive OK?" his voice came.

* * *

Kyoko had to wait just for 20 minutes before he showed up and opened the front passenger door for her to get in. Kyoko slowly walked up to his car and quietly but hesitantly got in. She could immediately feel his eyes on her.

It made her more nervous.

"Mogami-san, are you alright? What happened?" his voice was filled with concern.

She knew it was too dark for him to notice her bruises. Her shoulder was covered up by her shirt. He wouldn't know she had been hurt. She was sure of it.

"I…. I apologize if I bothered you and woke you up so late… I am extremely sorry…" Kyoko tried to bow and apologize but he gently cut her off.

"There's no need Mogami-san, it's alright, any time, anything for a friend. You are not only my employee but my friend also" his voice was soft and kind.

He reached out and took her hand, squeezing it lightly. Kyoko flinched at his touch which didn't go unnoticed by him.

He moved his hand away and started the engine. "Buckle your seat belt; we will be at my place shortly"

She nodded as he started the car and drove away towards his apartment.

Neither of them talked further. The whole ride went in silence and the night's events kept playing in Kyoko's mind like a film over and over again. She didn't even realize when they got to the apartment until his voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"We are here Mogami-san" he said politely and he hopped out of his car and closed the door.

"Oh…" Kyoko breathed out as she took off her seat belt and followed him quietly all the way from elevator till they stepped inside of his apartment.

He turned on the light right away as he got in and closed the door behind him.

"Make yourself at home" he said taking off his shoes as he slid into his slippers.

 _"Home…"_ familiar painful feeling was back again _._

"Thank you" she walked up to the couch and sat down staring at the floor.

"Would you like something to eat or drink?" he offered gently but Kyoko declined politely.

"Alright then" the couch shifted as he sat beside her and moved his hand to touch her terribly bruised cheek. She winched in pain and wiggled as she tried to hide herself somewhere but there was no way to do so anymore. "Mogami-san, what happened?" he asked gently as he turned to face her, stroking her cheek lightly with the back of his thumb as if trying to soothe her pain.

She started trembling, afraid of how to explain. There was no way she could tell him the truth.

It wasn't his fault that her obnoxious lover, well ex-lover had abused her because he was so damn jealous of him and accused her of cheating when the thought of two-timing didn't ever cross her mind.

What could she do when Sho's mind was only filled with negative feelings? He was the one blind, unable to see her love and loyalty for him but it was all over now. Everything that ever happened between them had come to an end. There was no way she could go back to him, not after the way he had mistreated her and kicked her out of his apartment out of jealousy.

She looked up terrified and found him looking at the bruises, clearly visible around her wrists and jaw.

After taking a long pause, he spoke.

"Mogami-san, did _he_ do that to you?"

Kyoko's eyes widened. He figured it out? How?

She said nothing but couldn't stop tears that leaked out of her eyes. She made an attempt to wipe them away but the next thing she knew she was being wrapped in his warm and protective arms.

He embraced her gently, giving her time to let her pain out as he rubbed her back and stayed quiet holding her in his arms, giving her a supporting shoulder.

Kyoko couldn't hold her tears back and her mask broke. She hugged him back and buried her face in his chest, soaking his shirt wet with tears.

He let her cry until she ran out of tears. "Shhhh…. It's OK, you are here. You are safe now" he whispered gently trying to comfort her.

"H-Hizuri-san, thank you for picking me up, if it weren't for you, I don't know what I would have done" she said crying out against his chest again.

"Of course, what are friends for? I won't let him harm you. You are safe here. You can stay here as long as you want. I won't let him come anywhere near you. You are completely safe" Kuon smiled warmly as he reassured her, rocking her back and forth until she stopped crying and fell asleep in his embrace.

She lost her home but had found a new one. The one who left her homeless didn't know that someone was out there with the biggest heart who was generous enough to take her under his protective wings. Someone who was selfless and kind enough to make her feel at home and safe.

Unknown to both Kyoko and Kuon, fate had already started planning its perfect matchmaking.

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That's it. Please read and review and let me know what you think. I hope you like it. I would be happy if you leave a review. Till next time. See you all soon.


	2. Comforting Arms

**Disclaimer: I don't own skip beat or any of its characters. It's an AU story.**

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 **A/N: Both flashbacks of Kyoko's encounter with Kuon in the dressing room and Kuon's break up with his GF are the events connecting the same party that Kyoko attended with Kanae so please don't be confused. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I am thrilled to see 13 reviews for the first chapter. Seriously, I didn't expect that at all. Thank you so much guys for your kind comments.  
**

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 **Soul Mates-Comforting Arms**

 **Chapter-1**

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 **8 months ago: First Encounter  
**

"Hey Kyoko, what about this one?" Kanae asked as she held up a dress in front of her.

"That's so cute, you should try it on Moko-san"

"It's not for me silly, it's for you" Kanae made an angry face.

"No, you should try it on Moko-san, it will look so good on you for sure" Kyoko argued.

"Mo! C'mon Kyoko." Kanae hissed.

"I can't afford it. It looks so expensive!" Kyoko reasoned.

"At least, you should try it on for fun. There's no payment for a trial wear." Kanae winked at her friend.

The girls were shopping for Kanae's company party. Kanae invited Kyoko months ago so she had been saving for the night.

They gathered the dressed they picked and ran towards the dressing room excitedly to try on each outfit. They ran in and out of dressing room to admire each other.

"Thank you for inviting me Moko-san" Kyoko chirped purely delighted.

Fuwa Sho, her childhood sweetheart had always been busy in his music concerts and tours so they rarely spent time together. He was out of town so it was a golden opportunity for her to spend some time with her best friend.

Kanae smiled and grabbed her hand. "Mo! You are my best friend so of course I'd invite you"

Kyoko sparkled with a warm smile _. "I'm so lucky to have a friend like you Moko-san, I am so glad we ran into each other on the first day of middle school" Kyoko thought happily recalling their first encounter when they knocked heads while looking down at their class schedules._

Kanae worked in Hizuri Corp, the same company for which Kyoko had applied. She felt overjoyed when Kanae suggested her to join the same company as hers and she didn't waste any time and applied right away hoping for the positive response.

"Kyoko I am going to go grab that dress from the wall so that you can try it on. It's totally cute! I'll be right back OK?" Kanae yelled as she walked pass her dressing room.

"OK Moko-san" Kyoko replied and waited inside her dressing room for her friend to return.

After a while, when Kyoko noticed someone walking outside of her door, she reached out from the curtain, stretching her hand open. "Alright Moko-san, give it to me. I'll come out to model it for you once I'm done changing" Kyoko took the dress and frowned.

She didn't remember the dress being pure white nor being it silky. "Was it really this one Moko-san? I thought it was red" she called out but didn't hear any reply so she just shrugged and tried it on.

She looked at herself in the mirror admiring the way the outfit looked on her. It was really beautiful.

"OK here I come" Kyoko said opening the door and twirled out, coming face to face with an amused blonde, green eyed man sitting on the dressing room chair.

Surprised, she screamed out at the top of her lungs and covered herself with her arms.

The man started to laugh.

Kanae and the store assistant came running into the dressing room.

"Kyoko what happened?!" Kanae asked glancing back and forth at the man and her best friend.

Kanae immediately recognized who the man was. Hizuri Kuon, the owner of the company in which she worked.

"I-he-I-you- I thought he-you-" Kyoko stuttered as she pointed back and forth at the man and Kanae with one hand. Her face was deep red with embarrassment.

It caused the man to laugh even more.

"What's the meaning of this young lady?" The store assistant demanded glaring at Kyoko angrily. "How dare you scream at Mr. Hizuri? Do you have any idea who he is? You also took the dress he bought! How dare you! Leave the store this instant!" She then turned to the man bowing and apologizing. "I'm sorry sir for the mistake, please forgive me"

"It's OK, I gave it to her myself. You can go now" he told the assistant who nodded, bowed again and quickly walked away.

"You look great by the way" he turned his attention back to Kyoko and eyed her from head to toe.

Kyoko flushed. "I'm sorry. I thought you were my friend. I'll take it off right away. Please forgive me"

She quickly ran into dressing room and changed. She came out with the dress trying to smooth any wrinkles she may have caused.

"I'm so sorry" she apologized.

"It's alright" he smiled at her.

"Wait, your last name is Hizuri right? If I'm not mistaken then are you Hizuri Kuon, owner of Hizuri Corp?" Kanae asked.

"How do you know?" he inquired.

"I work for you in your company. We are shopping for the company party this weekend." Kanae replied.

"Oh I see, so that's how you know me, well who are you two lovely ladies?" he asked looking at Kyoko.

"I'm Kotonami Kanae and this is my friend Mogami Kyoko" Kanae introduced themselves.

"Oh so you are my manager's girlfriend. I'm glad to finally meet you Kotonami-san, he rants about you 24/7. I am charmed." Kuon grinned as he bowed to them formally. Kanae turned crimson.

"W-We are not a couple, just good friends Hizuri-san" Kanae was deep red.

 _"Play boy!" Kyoko thought to herself._

Kuon rolled his eyes. "Yeah just friends but give yourself some time to be rejected by everyone in Japan and left by yourself with no choice but to be a couple"

Kuon chuckled along with Kyoko but Kanae waved away his remark as she blushed a deeper shade of red.

Kyoko glanced at her friend's flushed face with an amused look.

Right at that moment, Kuon's phone rang.

"Excuse me ladies" he said walking out of dressing room as he answered his phone.

"OMG so he's going to be my Boss? How come you have never seen him before Moko-san?" Kyoko asked her friend.

"He's been always so busy in business tours so I guess I never got any chance to meet him face to face." Kanae answered.

"He was hitting on you though" Kanae teased.

"Oh please, he was just being nice, trying to ease my embarrassment. I think he was teasing you Moko-san, you know what I mean… Ya-shi-ro-san" Kyoko let out rolling her tongue and elbowed her friend lightly in teasing manner.

Kanae's cheeks heated up again and she huffed at her friend.

"You better be careful Kyoko. Boss is heart throb and famous to make girls fall in love with him at first sight. You are going to join the company soon. Your fiancé will be so jealous once he finds out" Kanae teased back as they walked out of the store to find Kuon gone. Kyoko just shrugged and rolled her eyes.

"We couldn't buy anything. I guess we'll have to check another store" Kyoko sighed as she walked out of the store with her friend.

"Excuse me Miss"

Kyoko and Kanae turned around at the voice.

"You forgot your package." The store assistant said.

Kyoko and Kanae looked at each other in surprise. "We didn't buy anything"

"Oh yes, I know but Mr. Hizuri instructed me personally to give this to you. He's already paid for the dress" she said as she handed Kyoko the box, bowed once again and walked back into the store.

"W-What? Huh? What The- What is it?" Kyoko was stunned.

"I don't know open it" Kanae suggested surprised herself.

Kyoko opened the box and found the dress she had tried on earlier. "Oh my…" she gaped.

"50,000 dollars?" It's too expensive!" Kyoko almost dropped the box when she read the price.

Kanae just looked at her friend shocked. There was a note inside the box.

Kyoko unfolded it and gasped once again as she read it.

 ** _A small gift for a lovely lady who called me her friend. I really hope we can become real friends Mogami-san. Hizuri Kuon._**

Kyoko smiled _. "May be he wasn't a play boy after all" She felt a warm feeling inside of her. "I have made another friend today. I hope I'll be able to pay him back somehow. I can't wait to join the company"_

* * *

 **Back to present:**

Kuon was turning and tossing in his king sized bed. He tried his best to sleep but his mind was too distracted to let him get a sound slumber.

He took Kyoko in the guest room after she fell asleep in his embrace, gently laid her down on the bed and left to go back in his room reluctantly. He wanted to stay by her side. He knew she was vulnerable and needed his support but he couldn't bring himself to stay. Her face was too sad and it broke his heart when he found himself too helpless.

 _"I wish I could do something for her. When I was heartbroken, she fought for me with an unknown person and consoled me. She was the first person who cried for me, feeling my emotions and here I am, doing nothing to ease her pain. Why am I so useless?" He thought recalling the day of party when his long time girlfriend Maya Orihara turned him down and left him behind for America in order to pursue her acting career._

* * *

 ** _~Flashback~_**

 _Kyoko wandered out through the side doors as she stalked down the hall way searching for the rest room and found a closed door to her left. "May be this is it" she thought and opened the door quickly._

 _She'd been dancing almost all night with frequent stops for soft drinks. She was indeed having a blast and was grateful that she could come along with Kanae._

 _Peeping her head around the door, she saw a small lavish bar. It seemed to be completely empty with one man kneeling before a tall, brown haired and black eyed woman while holding a violet box in his hand._

 _There was no one else, not even a bar tender. Realizing her mistake that she got into wrong place, Kyoko was about to leave when she heard a chocked voice._

 _"Please Maya, don't go, I love you. I have loved you since I was 10 and you know that. Please marry me. Make me the happiest man alive. Stay here with me. I don't want to lose you. I can't live without you. Please stay."_

 _His voice sounded painfully begging. Kyoko's heart twisted a bit at the sight and she tried to focus her gaze directly at the couple._

 _"Oh, Hizuri-san? Is he proposing his girlfriend? Aww how cute!" she thought and decided to give them their privacy but as she was about to leave, woman's remark stopped her dead in her track._

 _"I'm sorry Kuon but it's not possible. I can't" the woman turned him down coldly.  
_

 _Tears pooled in Kuon's eyes at her rejection but he held himself back from crying._

 _"Why?" he breathed out._

 _His broken voice seemed to have no impact over the woman in front of him._

 _She shrugged her shoulders and crossed her arms._

 _"Get up Kuon, that's enough. Don't be childish. You know I don't like being tied up in relationships. I want to pursue my acting career. I have always wanted to try my luck in Hollywood movies and I finally got the chance. There's no way I'll let it pass for anything. I want to live my life like a free bird. I don't like being caged and you know it so please stop it already. Don't make me guilty of rejecting you again and again please and besides I'm 2 years older than you. Please Kuon, forget about me and move on" she said and Kyoko fought against the urge of punching her in the face._

 _Kuon stood up and stared at her with wide eyes as he slid the ring box back into his pocket._

 _"13 years of my unconditional love mean nothing to you? Didn't you love me back? Didn't you feel the same way like I did?" he questioned her shocked._

 _She sighed._

 _"I did like you Kuon, you are a nice guy but I can't compromise my career. I can't let this golden opportunity slip away from my hands. Relationship, love, marriage, everything can wait but career can't. I can't let anything get in my way not even your feelings for me"_

 _Kuon felt his heart being ripped out of his chest and smashed cruelly under the feet of the woman before him._

 _He couldn't help but gawk at her as his mind stopped to respond normally._

 _"Maya…" he whispered sadly._

 _Kyoko almost chocked on her tongue. "What does she think she is? If she doesn't want him in her life then she should just walk away turning him down nicely. Why the hell is she trying to taunt him for loving her? She has no right to play with his heart, considering him an obstacle in the way of her career. What a self-centered heartless woman!"_

 _"I left my birth place behind. I left my parents behind and came here to be with you in Japan and you are telling me that I am getting in your way? Are you that desperate to get away from me? Can't you go to America after getting married? When did I ask you to stop pursuing your career? Didn't I say I'd support you no matter what happened? Am I really just a stone for you who's trying to get in the way of your success?" Kuon asked as his heart shattered into pieces._

 _"You left your country and your parents to make your own identity. It was your own decision. I didn't force you to come with me. You did nothing for me. You wanted to run away from your father's shadow. Don't make it sound like you did everything for my sake. Come to think of it, how can you ever love me when you didn't even love your parents and left them behind without even thinking twice about their feelings? How can you give me a family when you destroyed your family with your own hands? How can I believe that you are sincere towards me and won't leave me like you left your parents?"_

 _Koun felt a pang of hurt in his heart. He was frozen into silence. He moved forward impulsively to grasp her hand but she slapped it away roughly._

 _"I'm sorry Kuon, I don't love you the way you do. I have always considered you a good friend, nothing more nothing less. I guess my kindness gave you the wrong idea and aroused your feelings for me. It's not my fault that you fell for me. You are the one blind not to realize that I never loved you romantically. Please forget about me and move on" she said and turned around to leave but found Kyoko glaring daggers at her._

 _"How dare you to hurt him like that?" Kyoko roared. Another presence caught Kuon's attention and he looked up to see who it was._

 _"Mogami-san…" he whispered.  
_

 _Kyoko was crying. She didn't know for how long she had been crying. It just broke her heart to the core hearing someone rejecting pure love so coldly. She was the one who could never see anyone in pain. She didn't know herself why she was like that but every time she saw someone in pain, she became depressed as if she was feeling their pain herself in her heart. Perhaps she was too much emotional or sensitive and took everything to heart easily._

 _Maya raised a brow and smiled "Look you have already got an admirer Kuon, she's come to your rescue. May be you should try and fall for her. She'll give yourself to you right away" Even though her face didn't show anything but her tone was derisive._

 _But before she could say anything else, Kyoko slapped her hard across the face and stunned her into silence. Maya covered her stinging red cheek with her hand and gaped at Kyoko open mouthed._

 _"You are piece of trash you ugly woman, get out of here before I call security to drag you away from here. I don't give a damn about you being the top actress but if you tried to hurt my friend any further, I'll cut your very being into pieces!" Kyoko's minions were out on her command, ready to attack._

 _Kuon looked back and forth at the two women in daze._

 _"And just who are you to him?" Maya shot back, as anger flamed inside of her._

 _"A fellow human, a friend of him who fortunately has a heart which you lack, now don't try to mess with me and Get out!" Kyoko roared out and walked towards Kuon who was staring at her in shock._

 _"I'll see you" Maya glared at her before leaving._

 _Kyoko patted Kuon's shoulder lightly. "I'm sorry for eavesdropping Hizuri-san. I didn't mean to but I'm glad I did. I want to punch that woman to death. How dare she make fun of your feelings like that? Please don't let anything she said get into you OK. She doesn't deserve you at all. Don't waste your tears for someone who doesn't even know their value" She moved her hand gently brushed his tears away._

 _"y-you, y-you shouldn't…" Kuon chocked out as he struggled to find his voice to speak._

 _"You can rely on me. I did what a friend should have done. Didn't you befriend me a few days ago? I was just doing my job as a friend, defending you"_

 _Kuon fell on his knees and cried silently over his stupidity._

 _Kyoko sat down beside him on the floor and made an attempt to comfort him.  
_

 _"I'm stupid, aren't I?" He asked her with teary eyes._

 _"No, you aren't but she is. She doesn't know what she's lost. It's OK Hizuri-san, don't be sad" Kyoko consoled him as she wiped away her own tears._

 _"Take your revenge on her" she smiled looking at his bewildered face._

 _"Revenge?" he asked confusingly._

 _Kyoko nodded._

 _"Live your life 1000 times happier than before, that will be your revenge on her. Life is beautiful Hizuri-san, you should be grateful of getting rid of woman like her. I'm sure you'll find the best woman soon who'll love you with all of her heart and soul. Don't let her words bother you. She was just trying to disheart you. Keep smiling. Bad time doesn't last forever. Laugh your heart out and she'll surely be jealous that you are happy without her. She'll soon realize her mistake of losing you and regret for the rest of her life. You don't need any reason to be happy Hizuri-san. Celebrate your parting of ways with that skunk in time. It's a blessing for you that you realized her true personality. If you really love her then let her go. If she comes back to you then she's yours but if not then she never were. She never was yours Hizuri-san because if she were then she would have never even thought of hurting you. Never let the smile leave your face because of anyone because I know you have a kind heart and kindness never goes unrewarded."_

 _A pure smile decorated his handsome features._

 _"You are quite something. You didn't even hesitate before slapping her even though you didn't know who she was. You are quite daring. That was quite a scene there enough to easily rival any action movie" Kuon was impressed.  
_

 _"I wanted to punch her dead for hurting you. Sadly, I could only manage to slap her. I wanted to give her a piece of mind so that she would understand never to play with anyone's feelings again" Kyoko answered.  
_

 _Kuon laughed. "Oh really? You are dangerous Mogami-san. I'll have to keep myself at arm's length, not to try messing with you." He chuckled, no longer crying._

 _"Anything for a friend" she patted his shoulder again leaving him amazed._

 ** _~End of Flashback~_**

* * *

Kyoko sat on the edge of bed. Her thoughts going to Sho once again. She could feel fresh tears forming in her eyes once again. She sighed shakily not wanting to cry but her vision was already blurry with tears.

 _"I… don't understand. How could he do that to me? I thought he loved me"_ she thought trailing off.

She felt another stream of tears flowing down her cheeks. This time she let them flow, not even bothering to wipe them away.

She was alone and it didn't matter to her. As long as she didn't cry in front of Kuon, it was OK with her. She didn't want to upset him, not when he had been so nice to her already. She sat fully on the bed and brought her knees up to her chin, burying her face in her arms. Loud sobs began to escape from the back of her throat. Sadness that she was holding in was coming up to the surface. She pressed her face deeper into her arms, trying to lower the sound of her sobs. She didn't want Kuon to hear her crying. She continued crying, trying her best to be as quiet as possible. At this point, her face was coated with the mask of hot tears with more still coming. She tried to muffle her sobs and took long gasps of air, trying her best to get over her misery but whatever she tried seemed to be ineffective.

Kyoko's face was pressed so tightly to herself that she didn't even notice the door being slightly open nor she noticed quiet footsteps that made their way towards her bed.

She was surprised to feel a hand gently caressing her head and its fingers running through her hair. She flinched at the contact and slowly raised her head to look up only to find Kuon staring down at her worriedly, dressed in his silk pajamas.

"Mogami-san, what's wrong?" he asked gently caressing her cheek, his tone full of concern.

Kyoko quickly wiped her face and sniffed.

"N-Nothing"

"It's not nothing Mogami-san" he asked again while sitting on the edge of the bed.

He moved in closer and asked again.

"Talk to me. Tell me what's wrong" he said.

Kyoko shut her eyes and shook her head.

"Please?" he urged and placed a gentle hand on her good shoulder.

"Is it something that you can't talk about with me?" he asked sadly, kicking himself for being unable to help her. He wanted to do something, anything to erase her pain and make her smile but she was constantly crying.

"N-No, that's not it…" she stammered and Kuon raised a brow.

"Then?" he asked.

"I…I just don't want to bother you with my problems" she told him as she wiped her eyes again.

She looked up at him.

"The last thing I want is to cause any trouble for you Hizuri-san, you have already done more than enough for me" she said still teary eyed.

Kuon's eyes softened. " Mogami-san, thank you. Even when in pain yourself, you are still considerate of others but what do you expect me to do when I see you crying like this? You are my dear friend. I can't just sit idle to watch you cry while doing nothing. What kind of friend would I be then? Please talk to me or am I only your Boss? Don't you at least consider me worthy enough to share your pain with me? Am I that bad as a friend?"

"Hizuri-san, it's not like that. You are a dear friend of mine, just like Moko-san, it's just that I don't want to make you worried.

She looked away.

"It's OK. I'll listen to you, no matter what it is" he gently spoke as his fingers grazed her neck.

She flinched.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I understand" Kuon said quietly and began to get up for leaving.

Without even thinking Kyoko reached out to grab his hand in hers.

"It's OK" she said as Kuon looked down at her and sat back down beside her.

"Tell me, I may be prying you too much but I can't see my friend suffering like this" he said sadly and Kyoko looked down at her feet.

"I am sorry for worrying you Hizuri-san"

Kuon shook his head.

"A friend in need is a friend indeed Mogami-san, you proved it to me. Please don't hold your pain inside and tell me what's wrong? What happened?" he asked gently, squeezing her hand.

She took a deep breath and whispered.

"I… I… had a fight with Sho- I mean Fuwa-san, he lost his temper and tried to r-rape me. When I disobeyed, he broke up with me and threw me out of his house" she finished and felt fresh tears stinging her eyes again. She didn't need to tell him why it happened. It wasn't his fault at all.

He squeezed her hand tighter.

"What?!"

Kyoko could sense he was angry. His face has changed so suddenly that it scared her. He was clearly angry and upset for her.

"How could he do that to you? Wasn't he your future husband? How could he be that heartless to kick you out in the middle of night? Anything could have happened to you! How dare he!"

She looked away suddenly feeling ashamed.

"It's all over now. I don't belong to him anymore. He's dragged me out of his life himself"

"I… just don't understand how he could…" she sniffed as she wiped her tears away but more came down as she did so.

"That Bastard! How dare he-!"" he growled. His voice suddenly turned colder.

"I-It's O-OK" Kyoko said, still crying.

"It isn't" he said as he squeezed her hand tighter than before.

Kyoko felt the pinch of pain cursing over her body again.

"I… I… am sorry for troubling you so late. Please forgive me. Moko-san was out on vacation and I had nowhere to go. I really am sorry for disturbing your sleep and making you worried" Kyoko apologized again feeling guilty for causing so much trouble for him but he brushed it off.

"I'm glad you called me Mogami-san or else I would have been really upset to know you didn't consider me worthy enough for your friendship like Kotonami-san" He said as he wiped her tears away with his thumb.

"Mogami-san…" he called out when he felt her spacing out.

"Huh?" Kyoko asked looking at him with tear-streaked face.

"You don't have to hold it in" he said softly.

"Eh?"

"You can cry if you want Mogami-san. I'll stay with you" Kuon said looking deeply into her amber eyes.

"H-Hizuri-san…"

"Please rely on me. I am here. You are not alone so let your pain out. Don't hold your tears back and cry as much as you want so that you can smile to your fullest the next morning"

He said and embraced Kyoko gently while running his fingers through her hair.

Koun didn't have to say anything anymore. Just few gentle words from him had managed to break all of her defenses. Without even knowing it, she brought her hands to Kuon's back, clinging to his shirt. Loud sobs began coming out of her mouth and she didn't care to hold herself back anymore. She was relieved to know she didn't need to hold back anymore. She could cry freely.

There in his arms, she felt secure like nothing could ever hurt her. For a brief moment, she thought that it was a place warm enough like her home, a place where she could stay forever.

* * *

That's it. Please read and review. I hope you like the chapter. Thanks for reading. See you next time.


	3. Rambling Hearts

**Hi everyone! I am back with the new chapter. Please don't kill me after reading it. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

 **Soul Mates-Rambling Hearts**

 **Chapter-2**

* * *

Kyoko slowly opened her eyes to the dim sunlight that was now steadily creeping its way along the walls of the room. Underneath her she could feel the light crispness of the sheets that had a fresh and clean scent on them

She could not remember falling asleep. The only thing she could remember was crying her heart out while Kuon held her in his arms. The kindhearted man had stayed with her the entire night as she cried. It was something that Kyoko was truly grateful for. She was happy that she had such a great friend in her life. Now that she was thinking about him, Kyoko became suddenly aware of the sweet scent that surrounded her. She opened her eyes further and saw that her face was pressed against something hard but warm. Around her waist, she could feel an arm wrapped, pulling her in towards a muscular body.

Her head was resting on an arm as if it was her pillow. Kyoko suddenly stiffened as she realized where she was. One thing was for sure. It wasn't her place. Kyoko slowly raised her head higher and saw Kuon's handsome sleeping face before her. He had her locked in a warm and comforting embrace and was holding her tight but for some reason, Kyoko couldn't find it in herself to complain about it and it bothered her the most but she couldn't really lie to herself about it that she liked being held by him so gently. Slowly Kyoko began to pull herself out of his tight hold being careful enough not to wake him up but failed. It was too difficult. He had her pressed into his hard body with an arm wrapped around her head, pulling her face into his neck. She could hear and feel pulsing of Kuon's veins as he silently breathed in and out. She could smell his pleasant scent. She blushed madly from head to toe as her heart raced. Once again, Kyoko tried to move herself out of Kuon's embrace but as she did so, Kuon moaned quietly and stirred in his sleep. Kyoko quickly returned to the position she was in before. Once Kuon stilled, she tried to move herself once again. She managed to raise herself about an inch and slid Kuon's arm off her. As she did so, his arm found its way down on her again. Only this time, it pulled her even closer.

Kyoko was now right in front of Kuon's face. She could feel his warm breath against her skin. It sent shivers down her spine. By the time, she had given up trying to move out of his grasp. It was impossible for her to do. She tried one last time to move out of bed but Alas! Kuon pulled her closer again in his sleep and then stirred when she wiggled to break herself free from his caging arms.

Kuon's eyes slowly opened, as soon as he looked at her and saw her crimson face, he couldn't help but smile and laugh.

"Good Morning Mogami-san" Kuon said with another laugh.

"Why is your face so red?" he asked still smiling.

Kyoko blushed, clearly flustered.

"H-Hizuri-san" she groaned in embarrassment.

Kuon laughed again.

Kyoko's face reddened when she realized that she was still pressed up against his body.

Kyoko blushed again, this time deeper than before.

Kuon's eyes opened wider when he finally realized their position. In a minute, he unwrapped her and let her go.

"Ah sorry! You were crying the whole night and couldn't get any sleep. I didn't have the heart to just leave you alone crying your eyes out so I stayed in the guest room with you. I am sorry I didn't mean to embarrass you like this" Kuon said apologizing.

"Ah… it's OK" Kyoko said quietly as blood rushed to her cheeks again.

She pulled the covers off of herself and swung her legs off the edge of the bed. She stretched her arms and stood up bare feet on the soft carpet. She suddenly felt cold and exposed.

" _Was it because I left his soothing embrace?"_ Kyoko mentally slapped herself for thinking that way.

 _"Get a grip! What's wrong with you? Do you want to make him mad at you? He's your boss remember? He's being nice to you and here you are thinking all that stuff about him!"_ she quietly scolded herself for being an idiot but her mind was repeatedly thinking about Kuon.

"Thank you for letting me stay Hizuri-san. I better go get my stuff before his return to the apartment." Kyoko said softly, her back to Kuon. She paused for a moment, the pang in her heart suddenly returning with twice the pain.

She could feel his eyes burning into the back of her neck. She didn't notice that Kuon himself had gotten out of bed and walked over to where she was standing. She didn't even hear his footsteps coming up from behind her. When she felt Kuon's warm hand on her shoulder, she was snapped out of her thoughts.

She slowly turned to meet his eyes which were clouded with worry.

"Mogami-san are you alright?"

It was unintentional but a sad smile made its way to her lips but quickly disappeared and Kyoko found herself looking down.

"I am fine" she replied half-heartedly.

Kuon continued looking at her with the same expression.

Kyoko could feel him looking at her so she looked up again.

"I mean I will be fine" she stated with a sigh.

"OK then" Kuon gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze as he tried to console her but he knew better. It was impossible to repair a broken heart. He himself had been a victim of it and still couldn't get over it.

"I need to take a shower" she said lightly trying to ease Kuon's worry for her.

"OK sure. You take a shower and I'll go buy breakfast for us"

"Ah, I can prepare breakfast for us. You don't have to buy it" Kyoko reasoned with him but was dismissed.

"Not another word Mogami-san. I can't trouble my guest like that. Now please excuse me for a bit. I'll be right back." In a flash he was out of the room.

Kyoko sighed. She wasn't in place to argue with him but she didn't like all the troubles she was causing him. He was going out of his way to help her. He was too nice.

Sighing to herself again, she went into the bathroom to take a quick shower. May be then she would feel better.

* * *

As Kyoko came out of the bathroom, drying out her hair with the towel and ventured out into the hallway, her nostrils met with the pleasant and delicious smell of food. She walked towards the living room and fresh aroma of food hit her again. Automatically, Kuon glanced at Kyoko's direction and smiled at her.

"Come Mogami-san. Let's eat" Kuon offered with a smile.

The table was already set and food was in the plates and there were two mugs of coffee awaiting to be finished.

Kyoko joined Kuon as they sat down across each other and started eating.

"Thank you for the food" they chanted in unison as they dug in

Kuon picked up his rice ball and took a bite. "Delicious" he chanted while taking a sip of his coffee.

Kyoko smiled and did the same.

"You know you should take care of your health properly. Just rice balls or a bowl of soup isn't enough for a hard working man like you." She said and laughed when he gave her a bored expression.

"I don't like eating much." He answered with the same bored expression.

Looking at his discomfort, she dismissed the idea of prying him further but she really cared about him just like he cared about her like a friend.

"OK but try to look after your health and eat healthy meals to regain your strength because you really need it to handle your Company. " she said gently.

Kuon looked up into her eyes and smiled at her genuinely.

"Thank you for worrying about me. You are too nice Mogami-san"

Kyoko's heart thumbed rapidly. His eyes were sparkling at her with happiness. Her heart skipped a beat again and jumped a mile in a minute when he moved his hand to stroke her hair.

 _"W-What's happening to me? I have gone crazy. Why is my heart racing so fast? Why do I feel so warm and safe whenever he's around? Pull yourself together Kyoko or else your weird behavior will make him suspicious and break your friendship with him but God, he really is handsome and too nice. I can't take my eyes off him, not after how gently he treated me and comforted me in my difficult time. I have never seen anyone like him before_." Kyoko kept pushing her rambling thoughts away but obliviously, she kept staring at his face. Her spacing out stopped and she was pulled out of his thoughts when Kuon's voice echoed in her ears.

"Mogami-san is there something on my face? You were staring at me." Kuon asked.

Kyoko's breath hitched. _"You stupid girl! He noticed! What's wrong with you! But I can't get him out of my head. It's impossible for me. He is too gentle. I wish I had someone like him in my life_ " Her mind clouded her senses again.

"Mogami-san? Are you OK?" Kuon's concerned voice rang in her ears again.

She snapped out of her thoughts and mentally kicked herself.

"Ah sorry! My mind was elsewhere. I apologize. I am alright. I was thinking about how I should go _there_ to grab my stuff without facing him." She lied.

"You shouldn't go there Mogami-san. It's dangerous after everything he's done to you. I'll go with you." Kuon told her worriedly while eating.

His deep concern for her only caused her more pain. She didn't want that when she knew he couldn't be hers.

"I have to face it Hizuri-san. It's not like he will be there. He just comes once a week and then goes back to his busy life." She replied as she busied herself in eating, not even making an eye contact with him.

Her eyes saddened again.

"I can't overstay your welcome. I have to make arrangement for myself to stay."

Kuon panicked. "Where do you plan to go Mogami-san? Where would you stay? I don't want you to get hurt. You can move in with me and stay with me as much longer as you desire" Kuon offered and insisted her to stay but Kyoko's expression wasn't in his favor.

Kyoko's heart raced again.

 _No you don't understand. I can't stay with you under the same roof. Don't make it so hard for me. I can't stand it. I don't want to lose a friend like you. Don't talk like this or else I'll lose my control. No one has ever been this nice to me so stop it before I break apart._

"I can't stay with Moko-san as I can't keep troubling her with my problems. She has her own life to deal with so I guess I'll consider living own my own according to my budget" She answered him still averting his gaze.

"Mogami-san…" he whispered, concern clearly evident in his voice.

 _No stop, please or else I will…._

"Please. You can never be a bother to me. I would really appreciate if you consider this place your home and stay with me. I have always considered you a dear friend of mine that's why I just can't leave you like this and let you fight your problems alone. I can't afford it Mogami-san" His soft voice troubled her heart again.

 _What is this feeling? Why am I feeling this way? Perhaps I felt something for him the moment I met him. I just realized it now but he loves someone else. What should I do? It's tearing me apart._

Tears threatened to fall when she realized her trauma. She cursed herself under her breath for feeling that way.

"I appreciate your concern about me Hizuri-san and I truly feel honored but really I can't stay with you here. It's inappropriate. I don't want to get in the way of your routine life. I don't want to be a burden on you." Kyoko whispered softly, suppressing the tight feeling in her chest.

Her heart was aching and she hated it. What was she thinking? He was her boss and a gentleman. There was no way that someone like her could stay with him. If he found out or even got the hint of her thoughts about him, he would kick her out and break their friendship forever. She didn't want that to happen. She felt pathetic for thinking that way about her boss when she had no right to. He was too good for her, like a dream that would never come true.

Kuon eyed her sadly.

"Do you hate me? Am I really not worthy enough to gain your trust or even offer some of my help in time of your distress? Am I not your friend Mogami-san? Is there only Employer/Employee relationship between us?" sadness in this voice pulled the strings of her heart.

 _"It's not like that. You are precious to me and I never want to lose you that's why I just want to get away from here. No stop it. No please don't or else I will…" Kyoko's fragile heart screamed out in pain.  
_

She balled her hands to control herself. "You know it's not like that. I can't stay because you are a man and I am a girl and above everything I am your employee. I don't want to cause any trouble to your reputation. If people at work found out that I am living with you then it would cause you a huge disaster" she lied again concealing her real dismay.

She just wanted to stay away from him in order to save their friendship and herself. She didn't deserve a man like him and what if he was only being kind? There was no way he would feel anything for her other than pity.

Kuon's eyes drooped in pain.

"So you consider me your superior only. I thought we were friends but if that's what you want then I won't force you against your will. I don't care what people think or say. I just wanted to help you." Kuon said as he turned his attention back to food and finished it quickly.

Kyoko was on verge of tears by now. A few tears streaked down her cheeks as she hiccupped trying to muffle her sobs but failed.

"M-Mogami-san… " a stunned Kuon stared at her in panic.

"I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm sorry. Please forgive me" He apologized deeply, torn between his urge to go by her side and console her but her expression forced him to stay where he was.

"You don't understand anything." She whispered looking down.

"Eh?" Kuon let out confusingly.

"I just can't stay with you. Please Hizuri-san. I don't want to lose a friend like you. Please" she pleaded, still crying.

"Huh?" Kuon stared, more confused.

"You'll never lose me Mogami-san" he said gently but it broke Kyoko's heart.

"Please… please just please don't be so nice to me or else…" a tear escaped her eyes.

"M-Mogami-san…"

"I don't want to lose you because I…." Kyoko paused, her bangs fell over her eyes to hide her broken expression.

 _Your gentle embrace, your soft caresses, your sincerity, the warmth of your soothing arms, your healing smile, your sparkling eyes mean the world to me. I don't ever want to lose you but I can't have you because you are not mine. I am a fool in love with you but I realized it too late and now my heart is bursting out of pain. I feel miserable. There's no medicine to cure how awful I am feeling right now._

"I think I have fallen in love with you…." The words came out too fast but what's done was already done and couldn't be undone and the man before her had heard her clearly. He was too shocked to respond to her.

Two silent figures sat there across each other in pin drop silence, even the air around them stilled. Kyoko covered her mouth cursing herself silently for the tongue slip but nothing could be done to take her words back.

 _What have I done? He isn't saying anything. I have ruined our friendship. Stupid stupid stupid heart! He will hate me now.  
_

"H-Hizuri-san… I... I… " she tried to speak or utter a single word but her throat went dry.

"I…. Hizuri-san…. I..." she tried to clear her throat and speak but was cut off by his deep voice.

"You are dearest friend of mine Mogami-san and I like you a lot too but I can't return your feelings. I am sorry"

Kyoko could hear the sound of her heart breaking into pieces.

* * *

 **That's it. Please let me know what you think. Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. I am forever grateful. You guys mean so much to me. So thank you for all the effort and time that you take to read what I write.  
**

 **If you are thinking why Kyoko fell in love with him too soon then read previous chapters. She's always liked him but realized just now but why Kuon turned her down? It would also be cleared in next chapters. Till then stay tuned.**

 **Take Care**

 **See you soon again**.


	4. Guilt

**Disclaimer : I don't own skip beat or any of its characters. It's an AU story.**

 **Warning: This chapter contains violence a little bit.**

* * *

 **Soul Mates-Guilt**

 **Chapter-3**

* * *

Kyoko quickly made her way down the street with a racing heart. Tears of guilt slowly flowed down her cheeks. She'd made a mistake. She shouldn't have confessed. She knew he would never love her. Due to her own stupidity, she'd lost a friend like him. She had let her guard down and let her overflowing feelings get the best of her. Now, he'd avoid her, treating her like a stranger. Her heart stung when he rejected her feelings but she couldn't do anything about it. He had right to choose. Matters of heart couldn't be dealt rashly. Feelings couldn't be forced upon anyone so she'd left with no choice but to leave. She needed some time alone to clear her mind. She needed sometime for herself to think. She regretted her tongue slip deeply but now, she couldn't take back what had already been said. Now, he would think of her like other brainless, inconsiderate girls who could do anything just to hangout with him. He'd think of her badly. He'd feel disappointed, cutting ties with her, treating her nothing more than his employee. She'd ruined everything between them within a second.

The cab was parked down the street. She quickly got in and gave the driver the address of Sho's condo and then she was off.

She needed to collect her things from there. She couldn't afford living with him anymore, not after how violently he had treated her. It was a rape attempt. She was lucky enough to escape before something worst could have happened. Living with her boss was out of the question also. She didn't want to bother him with her troubles. She felt extremely awkward in his presence after he turned her down.

Although, Kyoko was frightened to go back to Sho's apartment but she was left with no choice. Her belongings were there and she had to pick up her stuff to get her life going. She was confident enough about his absence because he only came home once a week so she felt a bit fearless about getting her things out without facing him.

After thirty minutes drive, a familiar condo came into view. It was a place she once called home but now, it was just a memory where she got her heart broken and was physically assaulted by the man who was betrothed to her.

She pushed such thoughts out of her mind and forced herself to look composed and not to get emotional. The driver stopped the cab across the condo, on the opposite street and announced their destination. Kyoko paid him and thanked the driver as she quickly made her way out. She was eager. She just wanted to get her things as soon as possible so that she could leave.

She jogged through the lobby doors and took the elevator to Sho's floor. Walking down the hall, she found herself in front of Sho's apartment door. A feeling of unease twisted her stomach.

She pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. She herself didn't know what to do. She just wanted to get in and get out as soon as possible but at the same time; she didn't want to go in at all. She was scared but she knew she had nobody to rely on. She needed to learn for survival herself if she wanted to move on with her life. She had to face the fears of her heart bravely. At first, she thought of calling Kanae to tell her everything but the next moment, she dropped the idea. She didn't want to disturb her best friend.

Hesitantly, she knocked at the door lightly and waited for a few minutes. When no one answered, she knocked a little louder but still got no response. She let out a sigh of relief and retrieved the spare key from her bag to unlock the door. She knew she was barging in like a thief and she hated it but she had no choice. She opened the door and peered inside. There was no one in sight, just darkness and silence.

Opening the door wider, she took a cautious step inside and looked around to see if there was any sign of another presence but she found nothing. Fully stepping inside, she closed the door behind her as she walked inside. She looked at the staircase that led to the next floor. She didn't want to go up there but she knew she had to. Wincing at her disturbing thoughts, she tip- toed and made her way upstairs. She didn't even bother to take off her shoes because she wanted to be prepared if she had to run away in emergency.

After what felt like forever, she reached upstairs and checked the bathroom if it was occupied. Once she found it empty, she practically ran to fetch her toothbrush and other things as she quickly left, closing the door just as it was closed before, not leaving any sign of suspicion. Next, she carefully walked in the direction of her room, her former room and tried to be extra quieter

Luckily, it was empty. Sho wasn't home to her delight. She breathed out a loud sigh of relief. She could get her things and be gone without him even knowing that she had come. Walking faster than usual, she grabbed her clothes from the closet and started packing things up in her suitcase.

Walking further into the room, she couldn't help but look around once again. This had been her room, her home for several years and now she had to leave it. She was overcome with a sudden wave of sadness. She was left homeless once again. She didn't know what she'd do but that was something to be dealt with later. She needed to get out of there first. She checked the drawers and everything in the room just to be assured, not to leave anything behind. She packed everything but left the clothes that Sho had bought for her. They didn't belong to her.

Rolling her suitcase behind her, she quickly made her way down the hall towards the staircase.

"Good bye Fuwa Sho" Kyoko whispered as a tear streaked down her cheek. With a heavy heart and bitter feeling coursing through her chest, she stepped downstairs. She could feel her eyes stinging with tears. What she would do next? Where to go?

Shaking her head once again, she decided to let her fate lead the way. She had some money with her. She could spend the day looking for an apartment. She was still employed so she could afford the rent. She just needed to check her bank account and withdraw some more money then everything would be fine. Her life would be back on track once again.

As Kyoko rolled the suitcase towards the front door, she stopped dead in her track. She could have sworn she heard something. Sound of footsteps… yes that was it but she hopped to be wrong. She walked closer to the door desperate to get out but her footsteps felt heavy like they weighted a ton.

Kyoko's expression turned from shocked to horrified as the door knob twisted and the door was pushed open.

" _No…!" her heart_ screamed _in terror._

Sho came in view and stared at her wide eyed as Kyoko stood there frozen in place. The way he looked at her made it clear that he was pissed.

 _Oh No…_

* * *

"What have I done? She just bowed to me and left, without even giving me a chance to explain. I didn't mean to reject her so bluntly. She's loving and caring but I don't deserve her, not when I am still not over Maya yet. She's still there in a corner of my heart. I didn't want to use her as Maya's substitute. I couldn't afford doing such awful thing to her. I couldn't take advantage of her to get over my ex-lover. How am I going to face her now? Knowing her, she'd avoid talking to me for the rest of her life. What if she resigned and left the job as well, completely shutting me off? I've lost such a good friend. I've broken her heart. She'd never come near me again. I didn't know she loved a man like me. When did it happen anyway?" Kuon talked to himself sadly.

He slapped his forehead in fury.

 _Where could she have gone? She's nowhere to go._

He stood up hastily, abandoning his unfinished meal as he took long steps to fetch his phone.

He fumbled with the device as he speed dialed Kyoko's number but it went straight to voice mail. Cursing himself, he hung up after the phone went unanswered for the third time.

His chest tightened when he recalled the look on her face. She'd smiled at him but he knew she was torn inside, managing to mask a composed face before him. She'd taken his rejection bravely. She didn't even ask the reason of his rejection. She just smiled, stood up and took her leave, leaving him behind in guilt.

 _"What if he's gone to Fuwa's again? Yes, of course, she must have gone there to grab her things. I should go check on her and bring her back before anything bad happens to her again. That man is senseless. He even tried to rape her before. I don't know what he would do if he saw her again."_ Kuon thought and without wasting a single moment, he grabbed his keys and wallet and dashed out of his apartment.

* * *

"Kyoko, so you are finally back after spending the night with your lover? What a shameless creature you are. And you are leaving with you things? Have you finally become his mistress?" said Sho with malice-filled eyes as closed the door and took a step closer.

His words stung her already wounded heart even more.

She balled her hands as rage took over her but she didn't want to mess with a foul-mouth like him. He was nobody to judge her character or disgrace her in anyway. She was the owner of her life and had the right to spend it the way she wanted and with whomever she wanted. She didn't need lectures from a filth-bag like him who didn't even think twice before assaulting her out of jealousy.

"I… I just wanted to get my things…" she mustered the courage to let out in a small voice as she took a step back from him.

Sho smirked and it made her feel sick. She wanted to wipe that filthy smirk off his face. It felt disgusting.

"So you did spend the night with him. You went flying into his arms after I kicked you out. Tch, you are such a slut. I didn't know you were like that. You could have asked me to satisfy your needs. I am not that bad in bed you know. I have a lot of experience with my manager." He berated her and smiled in triumph when her eyes widened in pure shock and detest meant for him.

It felt like a poisoned arrow, directly aimed at her fragile heart. He had been cheating on her with his manager and she had no clue. He had purposely kept her in dark to play with her. He was never faithful to her from the start. He was never hers.

She felt as if her surroundings had started to spin around in circle. He had played with her feelings and emotions. He had betrayed her but it didn't matter anymore. She had nothing to do with him. It was better for her to set him free to do whatever he pleased. He didn't owe her anything.

"I'll take my leave now" Kyoko said as she gripped her suitcase tightly and walked passed him. She didn't want to waste another minute in his company but her wish didn't come true. He blocked her way and smacked her across the face, leaving a red mark behind.

Kyoko fell to the ground, wincing in pain.

"How dare you ignore me! I'm not finished yet! When I say something, you are supposed to answer me back wench!" he spat at her.

She lay there covering her bruised cheek with her hand.

She hated it. She hated how violently he'd always treated her. Her eyes started to pool with tears. How could he call himself a successful artist when he didn't even know how to behave with women?

She tried to get up from her current position on the floor, only to be pushed back down.

He got on top of her, clenching her throat, letting his nail dig into her soft flesh. She yelped loudly.

Kyoko whimpered under his strong grip. She tried to push him away and wiggle herself out of his hold but he was too strong. She cried out in pain as she gasped for air.

Sho glared daggers at her. "I was right. You were with him weren't you? What did he do to you? Spill it out woman! How dare you to come back here after spending the night with another guy? You were secretly messing with him weren't you? If I'm bad then you aren't pure either but you are such a bother. I am sick of you. You are nothing but a toy. I can toss you aside whenever I want to have a new one. You are nothing special. Even for your beloved boss, you mean nothing but a one-night stand. He'd never love you. Nobody would. You'd spend your life in solitude because you are a bad omen. If it weren't for my parents, you would have been spending your life as a street-beggar after your parents' death. You owe your life to me. You are indebted to my family so surrender and be submissive. How dare you to love another man? You are supposed to marry me! Instead of apologizing and begging me to take you back, you shamelessly come back here to take your things? You are really ungrateful, you low life nerd!" He barked out with so much intensity that for a moment Kyoko thought her hearing ability had disabled.

Kyoko's eyes started to roll back as his grip tightened on her. She coughed and struggled to break herself free but his tangled legs around her and strong hand held her in place.

"Let… go…." Kyoko pleaded with tears. She tried to fight back but it was all in vain.

He glared at her and Kyoko feared what would come next. "Stop struggling and ANSWER ME! What is he to you?! WHAT NOW?! Cat got your tongue?!" His voice roared into her ears, draining her blood. His eyes were filled with ire. He looked like he would murder her any moment. When Kyoko couldn't bring herself to speak because of his tight hold on her, Sho lost his mind as lifelessness took over his eyes completely.

He kicked her hard in the stomach, letting his inner poison come out. It knocked the air out of her. She cried out in pain with her face totally soaked in tears.

Kyoko coughed hard as he kicked her once again. She tried desperately to catch her breath but it seemed like the more she breathed in, the less air she actually got. Her mind started to turn blank and her vision started to get blurry as she struggled to breath.

Kyoko clenched her stomach panting harshly. "L-Let go… I…. I can't b…breath" she gasped out.

Just then, the front door loudly burst open and none other than Hizuri Kuon walked inside.

He quickly adjusted his eyes to the scene playing before him. Anger spread through his body when he witnessed the pure violent scene happening in front of him. Without wasting another second, he punched Sho off of Kyoko, knocking the air out of him, sending him unconscious to the ground.

"Oh, No!" Kuon rushed to her side. His heart sank at the sight of the pale girl as he took her in his arms.

"Mogami-san!" He called out worriedly as he shook her slightly to get any response but she had already fainted.

 _It's my fault. I shouldn't have let her go. It's my fault she's in this state right now. I did this to her.  
_

He looked around in panic but nothing came to his mind. Fear swept through his body.

He quickly picked up her luggage and went out running to toss it into his car and then came rushing back to pick her up in order to take her to the hospital.

 _"Please be okay Mogami-san. Please hang in there. I am sorry. I am so sorry. I swear if anything happened to you, I'd kill Fuwa with my own hands. I'm not done with him yet but first I need to get you to the hospital. Please stay with me. Please be okay"_ Kuon pleaded and prayed in his heart as he got in and drove away, breaking the speed limits.

* * *

 **That's it. Please let me know what you think. Who's Maya? Read 2nd chapter to find out if you don't know or if you are a new reader. I usually write AU stories because I can't keep up with the original author of skip beat. AU means that the story contains writer's own flavor and there can be little bit OOCs as AU stories don't follow the original plot of the anime or manga series. I hope you like the chapter. Thank you everyone for your time for reading and reviewing the previous chapter. If you are still confused about Kuon's rejection then wait for the next chapter. Everything will be cleared to you in upcoming chapters. I don't like Sho's character in manga. He makes me really mad so this story is definitely not for Sho's fans.**

 **See you soon. Love you all XD  
**

 **Take Care**


	5. A Taste of Punishment

**Disclaimer: I don't own skip beat or any of its characters. It's an AU story.**

* * *

 **Soul Mates-A Taste of Punishment**

 **Chapter-4**

* * *

Kuon's eyes darkened as he drowned himself in self-loath. It was killing himself from inside out. He felt agitated. His heart was on fire. He wanted the earth to burst open and swallow him alive. He wanted to dig up a hole and crawl in to hide himself from the pain. He kept his gaze lower at the floor, sitting beside Kyoko as he held her hand while the petite girl slept in her hospital bed.

Tears rushed down from the corner of his eyes when he reluctantly lifted his head to catch a glimpse of her pale face. She looked so vulnerable. His heart scrunched as he silently wept and cursed himself.

 _I am a horrible person. How can I call myself her friend when I couldn't even protect her? I left her alone to suffer when she needed me the most. How despicable of me! I'm sorry Mogami-san, please don't ever forgive me. I don't deserve it. I just didn't want to mislead you. I didn't want to mistreat you. I didn't want to violate your trust in me. I didn't want to use you for my benefit that's why I pushed you away. It's my fault that you are like this. Please never forgive me for being so cruel to you. Never forgive me!_

Kuon felt his heart being hammered at the sight of the tortured girl. The girl before his eyes held a special spot in his heart. She was different and meant so much to him. She had special ability which no one else had.

She had the ability to turn his tears into laughter. She had the ability to turn his sadness into smile. She'd always been so courteous and humble to him but how did he repay her? He turned cold to save himself and brutally pushed her away, only to get attacked.

Her right lung was punctured. Two ribs were broken. She was covered in bruises and it'd take almost two weeks for her to heal properly. He sat there motionless, his eyes never leaving her face. He didn't have the power to travel back in time and change everything. He felt so feeble even though he was the top wealthiest man in Japan. He was upset with himself. He felt appalled for being so worthless.

His chest burned in wrath as Sho's face flashed before his eyes and he felt the sudden urge to kill. No, he wanted to do something even worst. He wanted to torment him mentally so that he would have a slow and painful death. Kuon would rip Sho's organs one by one right before Kyoko's eyes. He would cut Sho's tongue and dig his eye balls out. He would cut the corpse of that scum into pieces and throw them into the lake full of wild starving crocodiles to enjoy the scene of him being chomped greedily. Sho Fuwa had misused his power and there was no way that Kuon could let the career of that arrogant pig go on. It was time for Sho Fuwa's downfall and Kuon was ready to use all of his power to make him suffer in the lowest level of living hell.

Kuon was pulled out of his thoughts at the sound of door clicking. He tilted his head to see his manager Yashiro and Kanae.

"I think you should go home and rest a bit. She's stable now Hizuri-san. We'll stay with her" Kanae announced through the door gently as she walked in. She was deeply impressed by his compassionate gestures for her best friend. Poor guy hadn't slept a wink for three days, refusing to leave her side.

Kuon fully turned when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Go and rest Kuon. I'll give you a call when she wakes up. Don't worry she's safe now" said Yashiro, trying to console his friend.

Normally, Yashiro would have squealed, slipping into his fangirling mode but now was not the time. Kuon's stern face clearly told him that he wasn't up for jokes or teasing.

Kuon nodded with a sigh and stood up, letting his manager take his place. "Thank you Kotonami-san, Yashiro-san. I'll come back later to check on her. _I have something important to deal with first._ I'll be going now." Having said that, Kuon didn't even wait for their response and left the room.

* * *

Kuon started his quest for taking that punk down. Half of his planned punishment for that brat had already succeeded and the other half was about to befall. Kuon went to hunt the guy on the set of his live concert but curses to his luck, he had already finished and went back home.

Having no choice, Kuon drove in the direction of his apartment while Fuwa Sho was absolutely oblivious of the danger lurking in the shadows for him. Kuon couldn't wait to show him his right place. He was dying to kill so he drove as fast as he could. Kuon had Sho's death warrant with him. He knew that without his career, Sho was nothing but a mere leach.

* * *

Kuon kicked the bedroom door open and let himself in, not even caring that he was intruding someone's privacy. His senses were long gone to care. He was starving for blood but what he saw inside, disgusted him to the core and he averted his eyes at once. Sho was screwing his manager like a hungry animal.

Sho bolted up from bed when he heard someone barging into his bedroom without permission.

"You! How did you get in? How dare you!" Sho growled.

Kuon ignored him and instead, glared at stunned Shoko with his blood-shot eyes. "I suggest you to put on some clothes and get out of here if you know what's good for you. I have no respect for women like you so get out if you don't want to be punched and disgrace yourself any further" His voice was calm but too threatening that she shuddered involuntary. His composed tone held warning behind it and Aki Shoko was chilled to the bones at his coldness. There was no tenderness, no mercy in his eyes and it scared her to death.

Gulping, she couldn't bring up the courage to speak so she covered herself quickly and stormed off, leaving the two men alone. Once she was gone and out of sight, Kuon turned his attention back to Sho who seemed to be as happy as Kuon was to see him.

"You…. What are you doing here?" Sho inquired darkly. He looked absolutely pissed off but not more than Kuon.

"You are a scum, you know that?" Kuon shot back, ignoring his question yet again.

Sho's temper rose.

"You have no right to talk to me like that. Do you know who I am? I am top rock star of Japan. You have some nerve to come in here unannounced without permission. Get out or else I'll call the security to throw you out" Sho roared but Kuon didn't budge. He met his glare, not even wavering in any way.

"Well I do apologize for my intrusion but I won't apologize for this…." Kuon walked over to his bed, grabbed him by the neck and shoved him down to the floor.

Taken aback, Sho yelled but wasn't even given any chance to defend himself as Kuon roughly dragged him out and pinned him against the wall of hallway. Sho tried to push him away and fight back but it was too easy for a strong man like Kuon to block all of his attacks effortlessly.

Kuon clenched his neck, lifting him off the ground as he slammed him against the wall once again but this time he used more force.

Sho struggled to breath and tried his best to shove Kuon away but he proved to be thousand times stronger than he was. Sho was muscular but against Kuon, he felt himself like a fly, unable to move without feeling as though his neck was going to be snapped or his eyes were going to bug out of sockets.

"Now listen to me carefully, don't ever try hurting Mogami-san again or else I'll engrave you alive myself. Your contract with Akatoki Agency has been terminated. You've been banned from Showbiz. Your career as singer is over." Koun declared with a deadly smirk and loosened his grip, letting him fall down.

Clasping his throat, Sho gasped for air. He was confounded. How could this happen to him? He was one of the most demanding sensational stars in Japan. How could his life be turned upside down? He couldn't even fight back. Kuon was too strong. All of his defenses seemed to be useless against the Demon Lord.

"Y-You c-can't be serious! No way! They can't kick me out!" Sho's eyes grew wide in shock as he still struggled to breath. A huge red bruise, gradually turning to purplish could be seen around his neck.

Kuon knelt down before him and lifted his chin up forcibly. His grasp on his face tightened and Sho shrieked in pain. He felt as if his jaw was going to be dislocated.

Kuon plunged his nails into his skin, a high pitched scream escaped Sho's mouth. He grimaced as he felt Kuon's sharp nails digging in. His blank eyes bore holes into Sho's startled ones as he spoke to him darkly.

"I was going to sue President Akatoki for hiring an abusive and violent rapist who tried to assault my employee but delightfully, he corrected his mistake and cancelled your employment in time. I just used my power to make sure you won't get your way in showbiz ever again. Your lavish life is over kid because your parents disowned you the moment I revealed your misdoings and guess what? This apartment doesn't belong to you anymore as it's been allotted to you by your agency. You are screwed!"

Satisfied with Sho's terrified expression, Kuon let his bruised face go. Blood started pouring out of his wounded area and pain started to prick his senses.

After a moment of silence, Sho grumbled uncomfortably. "W-Why did you do that? Whatever happened between me and Kyoko's our private matter. It's none of your business. What is relationship with her? Who are you to get so hyper upon such a simple thing? I'll do whatever I please with her. She belongs to me only. I own her."

If Sho was angry than Kuon was billion times angrier. His blood boiled and he completely lost his sanity as he kicked and punched the former singer straight into the stomach repeatedly till he could take no more then grabbed a fist full of his hair, yanking him upwards to his level so that he could face him directly.

Sho let out an incoherent sound and whimpered under Kuon's perishing glare. His body was aching. He was sure of extreme physical damage because with each thrown punch, he could hear cracking sound of his bones and ribs.

"You call yourself a man? You manhandled her. You violated her. You broke her heart and trust. You betrayed her. You threw her away when things didn't go how you wanted them to be. You tossed her aside as if she was nothing. You used your manpower against someone completely innocent and weaker than you" Kuon gripped Sho by the hair and slammed his forehead against the wall. Bells of fear started to ring into Sho's mind as Kuon twisted his arm behind his back with his deadly strong ironed hand.

For Kuon, Sho was merely a punching bag and he was having fun practicing as he awarded him with tons of punches back and forth. With each blow Kuon's voice picked up volume and roared around like thunder.

What did she ever do to deserve a man like you?!

How could you kick her out in the middle of the night so mercilessly when you knew she had nowhere to go?!

As her future husband, weren't you supposed to protect her?!

How could you treat her so crudely?!

How could you be that heartless?!

Men like you don't deserve to live!

Didn't you realize how fragile and harmless she was?!

You took advantage of her kindness. You beat her up when she was so powerless compared to you! Aren't you ashamed of yourself? How can you still claim her as yours? Don't treat her like a thing you good-for nothing b***rd! You don't deserve her one bit!

How dare you! I'll kill you if you tried to cross your path with her again!

If you couldn't love her, you could have just told her to leave you alone. How dare you to play with her life you skunk?!

You are terrible judge of character. Who the hell do you think you are to treat her so inhumanly? I'll beat you to death you cold-hearted shrimp!

You are abnormal. You are nothing but a monster. Stay the hell away from her if you don't know how to cherish her!

Kuon nearly kicked the life out of Sho as he kept kicking and punching him repeatedly, ignoring his pleadings.

After five minutes, Kuon halted to catch his breath. He was panting heavily. He finally stopped when he realized Sho couldn't take more blows and let him fall down.

Sho laid there on the floor, wincing in pain, covered in bruises and blood but Kuon wasn't satisfied. He wasn't ready to let him go just yet.

The man in front of his eye had tried to physically assault a girl, the man who was supposed to be her guardian. Kuon was pissed beyond imagination, even words weren't enough to describe how awful he felt. He wanted to teach that arrogant man a lesson he would never be able to forget, something that would haunt him throughout his remaining life.

With his breathing returning to normal state, Kuon straightened up and unbuckled his belt. Sho's eyes widened in fear when he realized what was about to come. He howled in pain when the leather belt hit his naked chest. "You think it's your legal right trying to rape a girl and beat her up just because she's linked to be your future wife? To hell with that! She's the one to choose. You are none to mess with her life! I'll charge you for rape and murder attempt and throw you in jail, ruining your remaining reputation if you ever tried to go near her again!" Kuon saw red and kept hitting him insanely. It was as if something inside him had snapped and he wasn't himself anymore.

Sho was quivering right from the scalp to toes. His bones were creaking underneath Kuon's torture. He was squirming like a fish out of water.

"I've ordered my guards to shoot you at first sight if you ever came near Mogami-san again. From now on, she'll be living with me so stay the hell away if you really want to live" giving him a fine dose of whipping as Sho cried out, begging for mercy, Kuon stopped after ten strikes, leaving Sho in tears.

"You deserve no tenderness, you vermin! Never try to hurt her again or else I'll throw you in front of hungry wolves and I really mean it. I hope you'll learn to respect women and treat them well after today" Kuon warned harshly, walking up to the tormented ex-star who shielded himself from him in fear and trembled violently.

The floor suddenly felt colder and Sho wrapped his arms around himself but the throbbing pain in his body didn't let him be comfortable. His whole body was shaking either from cold or from fear.

"You can file a complaint against me or call for a press conference if you want. I don't give a damn about it even I'll let the media know what you did to deserve this treatment myself. Now pack your stuff and get the hell out of here as soon as you can. You'll receive your termination letter first thing in the morning" Kuon's blazing eyes shot the guy to death.

Kuon straightened himself and buckled his belt around his jeans again and walked away before halting at the doorway.

"Leave Mogami-san alone. Don't bother her with your stinky existence ever again or else you'll have to deal with me and I assure you that next time, you won't find yourself alive. She doesn't belong to you in anyway. She is free woman, not your slave. Get this thing clear in your head. One more thing, if you don't get employed anywhere. Come to me. I'll hire you as my peon to teach you how to behave properly" Kuon said over his shoulder and the next moment, he was gone, leaving Sho behind completely blown away and devastated to taste the bitter flavor of his punishment.

Was it a dream or was it really happening? Sho was still in daze but the stiffness of his sore torso and torn bleeding lips burned his delusion in flames and proved everything to be a taunting fact.

It was definitely a wrong move. Fuwa Sho had screwed up big time and now he was unemployed, had no family to turn to and had nowhere to stay. He was left helpless to have a taste of his own medicine because he'd messed up with the wrong man who was more powerful than he was. For the first time in life, Sho realized that he was nothing more than an insect compared to Hizuri Kuon, the man who possessed manipulative power of practically ruining his career as well as life.

* * *

 **That's it. Please let me know what you think. Thanks for reading and reviewing the previous chapter. I hope you enjoy.**

 **See you all soon**


	6. An Invisible Wall

**Disclaimer** **: I don't own skip beat or any of its characters. It's an AU story.**

* * *

 **Soul Mates-An Invisible Wall**

 **Chapter-5**

* * *

Groaning, Kuon slowly opened his eyes and felt slightly disoriented even though his bed was cozy. He growled again and on instinct, his hands searched for sheets to pull over his face but they came up empty. He realized that he wasn't covered. He forcibly opened his eyes further and raised his head off the pillow, staring at the walls that surrounded him. He slowly sat up and rubbed his sleepy eyes, remembering that he was not at his condo but was sleeping in his office room, specially reserved for his rest.

Yes, that's right. He'd been sleeping in his office lately ever since Kyoko started to live with him. He'd been doing so to avoid facing her. He swung his legs over the edge of bed and stood up, arching his back. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was 1:30 AM

He sighed because it was time to go home. His heart contorted at the thought of Kyoko. A heavy sliver was festered in his heart. Even though she'd recovered and now was living with him, he hadn't even spoken to her much. During office hours, they were boss and employee and at home, they were much like strangers who shared same apartment. Kuon wanted to talk to her more than anything but the question was to whether she would want to even see him at all, let alone speak to him. Probably no. Everything was awkward between them.

Weight of guilt was too heavy for him to carry on. He was at fault for breaking her heart. He was at fault for hurting her. No matter how hard he tried to act normal around her and forget everything, he just couldn't get over his compunction.

He smoothed his clothes and went to the bathroom. He rinsed his mouth with cold water for a couple of minutes and washed his face to wake himself up properly. He raised his head and looked into the mirror and was not happy with what he saw. He had large bags under his eyes despite of having proper sleep. His skin was pale. He looked as bad as he felt.

What was wrong with him? Why did he feel so horrible as if he'd committed an unforgivable sin?

All he had to do was, talk to her and tell her why he rejected her but why was it so difficult to do? Why was he avoiding her in the first place?

Not even bothering to dry his face, he went to his room and grabbed his car keys and mobile phone off the table, next to bed.

He walked out the door and down the hall towards the elevator. After a short elevator ride, he dragged his feet out of dark and empty building. Outside, he walked to his car and took the driving seat. Sighing, he put the keys into the ignition and started the engine.

Pulling back to the street, he began his ride back home. He drove in silence though he wasn't really concentrating. All of his thoughts and senses were on Kyoko once again.

"She must be sleeping in darkness of guestroom by now" Kuon thought and drove faster. Before he knew it, he was already in front of his condo. He drove to the parking lot and parked his car then hastily walked to the elevator to take it up to his floor. He walked up to his apartment door and put the key in. As soon as it clicked, he swung the door open and walked towards the guest room, not even bothering to take off his shoes or coat.

He opened the door of his guest room softly and walked in to find her sound asleep.

"I am sorry" Kuon breathed out as he sat beside her and leaned down to push some hair away and planted light kiss on her forehead. "It's better if I keep myself away from you. My existence will only bring you pain"

He pulled away to look at her face.

"I am not in love with Maya anymore but she still haunts me. She still occupies my memories. I still think of her. I am afraid that if I returned your feelings; it would only be an excuse to get over her. You've been through a lot already. I don't want to fuel your sufferings. You don't deserve to be replacement of someone else. You are an angel who deserves the best" he whispered, stroking her cheek as he watched her sleeping.

She didn't even stir. Her breathing was even. She was deep asleep.

Ever since her recovery, she'd been working vigorously. During work, they didn't see each other often. He'd been attending meetings and working his guts out, regardless of time whereas she'd been busy in dealing with her own share of workload. They didn't even go home together even though they had been sharing same place.

 _"What am I doing talking to myself? I think I've gone crazy!"_ He thought, kissed her head and stood up to return to his own room although he didn't really want to. He wanted to stay with her but he was rejecting his heart's desire. He knew how he felt about her but there was no way he could double cross her.

Glancing at her one last time, he walked out, closing the door softy and return to his room to have some sleep if he could.

* * *

Sho grabbed his head in his hands and cursed himself silently. His luxurious life was finished. Ride back to Kyoto was useless. His parents didn't even let him step in and ordered him to return where he'd come from. Now, here he was going back to Tokyo to try and earn Kyoko's forgiveness just as he'd been told by his parents or else they won't see his face ever again.

He sighed as he rested his head against his window seat and stared out thinking how he'd become nobody from a famous celebrity. Nobody knew him now. Nobody was crazy for him. He'd lost his fans and career. Nobody recognized him as a dashing irreplaceable star. He was out of state. All of his savings had been consumed and he had left with no penny to spend on him.

His thoughts traveled back in time when he used to be arrogant and carefree. Now he knew how Kyoko must have felt when he'd kicked her out of apartment at night.

He hung his head and prayed it to be a dream but it wasn't. An entire month of misery couldn't be his imagination.

 _You and your manager Aki Shoko are fired. Your contract with my agency has been terminated. You are no longer allowed to enter this building. You aren't worthy enough. Retire quietly without making any fuzz or else you'll be dead meat._

 _I am ashamed to call you my son. I didn't bring you up that way. You no longer belong to Fuwa Family. Don't show your face until you gain her forgiveness and learn to respect women._

 _"Fuwa Shoutaro, rising singing star of Japan suddenly decided to retire due to some personal reasons. Japan mourns over losing a bright star like him."_ Horrible events of his destruction replayed in his mind and desperation escaped his lips. "What have I done to myself?"

* * *

Kyoko's eyes studied his office as she opened the door and walked in. She saw the man she loved leaning against his chair with his eyes closed. She'd been knocking at the door for few minutes but didn't get response so she helped herself in to find him asleep.

Holding a heap of files in her hand, she quietly walked up to him and heaved them onto the desk.

She tiptoed and crouched before him. She touched his creased brow and smiled. "You must've been so tired to sleep like this" she whispered inaudibly then glanced around. His office was a mess.

She rolled her sleeves up and quietly rearranged scattered files, putting them in order once again and organized his desk then as quietly left as she'd come.

On her way to her office, she met Yashiro who glanced at her anxiously. "Kyoko-chan, did you talk to him?" he asked as she stopped to greet him softly.

"No, he's sleeping. I didn't want to wake him up." She told him.

Yashiro narrowed his eyes. "Sleeping?"

She nodded.

Yashiro was stunned to see sudden change in Kuon's behavior. He could clearly see that he was trying to avoid Kyoko but why? He didn't know. He tried to ask him what went wrong between them but earned silence in return.

He'd started to get worried. Neither Kyoko nor Kuon was ready to utter a word and it'd started to frustrate him.

 _"I thought he was in love with her but …. Urgh! This is so complicated. Just a month ago, he looked like he'd die without her but now; he barely talks to her out of work"_ Yashiro was confused as hell.

He sighed.

"Are you sure you want to move out?" he asked, hopping to get something out of her.

She nodded again.

"But why? Did he do something wrong? Did something happen between you two?" he asked now annoyed.

Kyoko shook her head. "Nothing happened" Her own statement made her feel crushed.

 _Right, nothing happened. I have driven him away from me because of my idiocy. I shouldn't have confessed but now, I'm left empty handed._

He raised an eyebrow at her strange behavior. She wasn't making eye contact.

"Then why do you want to move out?"

She swallowed hard. "I don't want to bother him too much. He's generous enough to let me stay but I am getting in way of his routine life. He isn't comfortable. I don't want to cause him any trouble." she said looking at him.

 _He's avoiding me and I can't take it. He doesn't even talk to me anymore. It's like I don't exist for him. There seems an invisible wall between us that I can't cross._

Yashiro patted her shoulder. "If you've made up your mind then I won't stop you but he'll be sad if you left without a word."

"I'll tell him before leaving, until then don't say a word to him please." She said with a broken smile and Yashiro's heart squeezed.

He nodded. "I won't. Don't worry"

She smiled at him and bowed before leaving.

Yashiro's eyes followed her as she walked away and disappeared from his sight.

He sighed again.

 _"Something is definitely wrong. I have to find out. She could have stayed with Kanae. Why is she insisting on living on her own?"_ He thought and moved towards Kuon's office.

* * *

Kyoko quickly got off the train and headed towards the apartment complex. She'd fixed an appointment with the landlord. After a few minutes, she reached the apartment of given address.

She slowly opened the door and saw that an elderly man was already waiting inside for her to assist. The gentleman with his kindly wrinkled face yet stern deposition greeted her with a smile as she approached him.

Kyoko did the same and greeted him politely.

"Hello Mogami-san, my name is Soujiro, I am the manager of this building. So you're looking for an affordable place to live?"

Kyoko nodded and bowed to him politely.

"Well, you have come to the right place. No advanced deposit and pretty affordable rent" Soujiro let out a laugh.

"That's good" Kyoko answered.

"Great then. Let me show you around."

Soujiro showed her the entire apartment which included a bed room, neither too big nor too small, a bathroom, kitchen, balcony and even a washing room. It was more than she'd expected and the building looked well kept, with all kinds of stores and markets only a short walking distance away. It was actually nice. Before she knew it, tour was over and Kyoko knew she liked the apartment.

The man turned to her and smiled. "Well, what do you think?"

Kyoko stared at the floor. She was feeling depressed for no reason. She knew she had to move out sooner or later but it was still hard for her. For a brief moment, image of Kuon passed in her mind but she quickly put that thought away. She didn't want to remind herself of being alone. She had to deal with it and learn to be on her own and cope. She could feel sorry for herself later. She was an orphan so she had to learn how to live on her own instead of being a burden on someone else's shoulder. She was an employed adult not a kid to always ask for help.

 _I can't stay with him forever. I can't be selfish and overstay his welcome when he's so disturbed around me. He's famous. If someone found out about me living with him, he'll lose his reputation. I can't bring him defame._

She pushed her thoughts aside and turned her gaze to the landlord. "When can I move in?"

The old man smiled. "Whenever you want"

* * *

 **That's it. Please enjoy reading. Don't forget to tell what you think. See you soon again. Take Care. Thanks a lot for your support.**


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